Bowman and the Blackhawks have a pretty little bundle of salary-cap cash to use if or when they decide to add pieces to this team. Bowman said hes been watching the landscape for a while, but hes willing to wait for the right move.

And defenseman and center are at the top of the wish list.

I think you can never have enough defensemen. I think last year Vancouver used 10 or 11? Up front, I think you can make the same argument for a centerman, Bowman said. But if you talk to the other GMs, and Ive talked to a lot recently, theyre looking for center and defense as well. Those are the positions most in demand. Were probably not unique that way.

Bowman said right now it was hard to say if the Blackhawks could pull off a big deal.

All we can do is keep in touch with (teams), and if theyre ready to start making trades, well talk and see if theres a fit there, he said. You cant force them. We talk and we let them know the players we like. When we get around to it, we keep on top of it. But it takes two to tango.

The Blackhawks can afford to wait. They entered Thursday nights game in Philadelphia second in the Western Conference, one point behind the Vancouver Canucks. They enjoyed health through most of this season, with injuries just cropping up recently (Steve Montador and Marcus Kruger are on injured reserve, and Daniel Carcillo may face rehab or surgery for his injury).

But while Bowman mulls potential moves, he and the Blackhawks have taken advantage of their deep resources in Rockford. Several IceHogs have had opportunities with the big club this season, and forwards Jimmy Hayes and Andrew Shaw along with defenseman Dylan Olsen are getting theirs now. Hayes has two goals in as many games, while Shaw scored his first-career NHL goal Thursday in Philadelphia.

If nothing else, its a good audition for those young guys.

They never know if theyre going to get another game, so theyll try to put their best foot forward. Its exciting for them. Its their dream to play in the NHL, Bowman said. It gives us a good opportunity to see how these players are progressing. We can assess where theyre at and go from there.

Blackhawks release statement following incident that happened during game vs. Capitals

AP

Blackhawks release statement following incident that happened during game vs. Capitals

Capitals head coach Barry Trotz also had this to say about the incident:

“There’s absolutely no place in the game of hockey or in our country for racism.” — #Caps Coach Barry Trotz on an incident involving Devante Smith-Pelly on Saturday in Chicago. Four fans were ejected for taunting DSP when he was in penalty box. pic.twitter.com/kxn3uClSBY

That was Joel Quenneville’s message during the Blackhawks’ eight-game losing streak, which finally came to an end on Saturday night.

How about a 7-1 victory over the Washington Capitals on home ice for a streak-breaker? Now that’s more like it.

Prior to Saturday, the Blackhawks hadn’t recorded a win in February — or a win at the United Center since Jan. 12.

Though the Blackhawks will likely miss the playoffs for the first time since Jonathan Toews and Patrick Kane were rookies, a blowout win over the leaders of the Metropolitan Division Capitals had to have felt great.

"It’s a nice way to get over the hump," Toews said. "Sometimes you might just win a 2-1 game or just kind of grind it out, but it was nice for us to fill the net the way we did tonight."

Added Joel Quenneville, "Certainly feels 100 times better than coming in and trying to explain how we had a lead and were unable to sustain it. The complete 60 minutes, three periods the right way, more consistency in our game, way more pace than we’ve seen recently, composure with the puck, shooting around the net. It was fun but that’s one. Let’s see how we respond to this because there’s a lot of hockey left."

The Blackhawks are 25-26-8 with 58 points, and are 11 points out the final wild card spot, currently held by the Minnesota Wild.

"You think about the amount of great Americans that have played the game, how many players actually play hockey in the United States... Growing up all I wanted to do was play hockey," Kane said. "That means a lot, especially when you talk about American-born players."

— DeBrincat's 22nd goal of the season has him tied for the rookie-lead with Tampa Bay Lightning's Yanni Gourde. DeBrincat and Kane also lead the Blackhawks with 22 goals.